Recent terrorist activity has brought to light the desirability of preventing unrestricted vehicle access to oil refineries, satellite communication stations, embassies, military bases, and other government installations. Terrorists have been known to drive explosive laden trucks and cars into government installations for the purpose of destroying buildings thereat and killing the individuals located thereabout. Frequently, these terrorists drive the explosive laden vehicle and detinate same while still seated therein. Consequently, a means for preventing the unrestricted ingress of vehicles into government installations or any building parking area is desirable in order to avoid these terrorist explosions.
Checkpoints, with movable barriers, suggested by the prior art require excavation below the surface of the ground for placement of control components, such as springs, bearings, linkage or hydraulic or electromechanical elements to move the barrier, gate or the like. Further, prior art systems often require the construction of steel reinforced concrete walls spaced apart from each other, forming a checkpoint, through which vehicle traffic is regulated. The cost of erecting such barricades is often excessive especially, when it is not clear that such an elaborate design is necessary. When a strong design is desired, it often takes to long for such a checkpoint to be constructed. Further, obstruction of main roadways, caused by checkpoint construction, unduly interferes with the daily business at the site to be protected.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,871, issued to Kardash, discloses a vehicle barricade having a movable barrier plate pivotally disposed on a shaft transversely extending between twospaced concrete pillars. Means are provided for pivoting the barrier plate between a horizontal position and an angularly disposed blocking position. The vehicle barricade of Kardash has two major drawbacks. First, the cost of construction and time needed for construction are both extremely high. Second, Kardash teaches a device for pivoting the barrier plate--a barrier plate hydraulic actuator--which is situated so as to be vulnerable to undesirable tampering therewith.
The disclosed invention provides a novel and unique vehicle barricade which is portable and which includes means for protecting the means for pivoting the barrier plate from any tampering or sabotage. A hinged gate or barrier plate is secured via a pivotal shaft to a base plate which may be secured to the roadway. The gate is positioned between two steel stanchions, the stanchions acting to partially house the hydraulic actuator which raises and lowers the gate and also act to form a checkpoint through which vehicles must pass. An anti-tampering shroud means cooperates with the stanchions and the gate to prevent any unauthorized interference with the hydraulic actuator. Consequently, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the disclosed vehicle barricade is a significant advance in the art.